It must have been about five years ago when my friend Goliath started noticing friends and acquaintances wishing him on his birthday on Facebook even though he had never mentioned his birthday to them. Facebook being the stalwarts of privacy that they are had advertized his birthday publicly.

Goliath decided to have a little fun.

He switched his birthday every day to the next calendar day.
For two whole months.

Acquaintances would wish him on his wall every day for two months. It was a little inside joke for a while. Fecebook dot com was the playground and all of Goliath's contacts were unsuspecting players.

The obvious joke was that the obligatory birthday wish happened only because Facebook reminded them of it. The joke was on the notification culture of social media dwellers who were oblivious to real connections.

People like Goliath have been instrumental in making me realize there abundant opportunities to tinker and play.
The only limitation is our imagination.
The world is a playground of ideas.
And the world is always open for play.

Happy cake day, old friend!

I borrow the title of this post from the excellent video essay by The Nerdwriter about the Late Robin Williams. The video essay is on the same lines as this post, just like the title suggests. You should watch it.